Global Scans · UK · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Achieving Brexit will dominate the UK's agenda up to and beyond 2020 with uncertainty rife until clear decisions are made on the form of Great Britain's future relationship with the EU and the rest of the world.

• [New] UK GDP growth is expected to slow to 0.8% in 2026, down from 1.4% in 2025, as pressures from a new energy price shock push up inflation, weigh on spending and leads to potential further tightening by the Bank of England. KPMG
• [New] Regulators are particularly concerned that current rules disproportionately hit firms heavily engaged in UK lending and are finalising plans to remove barriers that will free up more money for UK households and businesses. Yahoo Finance
• [New] The renewed threat of inflation means the Bank of England is now expected to raise rates at least once in 2026, with mortgage costs staying higher for longer. The Guardian
• [New] Prospects of cuts in UK interest rates in 2026, which were widely expected at the start of the year, were rapidly extinguished when the Iran war started at the end of February. The Guardian
• [New] UK rules are expected to re-align with EU frameworks covering general food law, labelling, hygiene and safety rules, nutrition and health claims, pesticides and biocides. Osborne Clarke
• [New] While in England, farmers hope for a warm May with moderate rainfall, in China farmers look for heavy rain to fill the rice paddies. The Guardian
• [New] 76% of UK employees acknowledge that using unapproved AI tools poses security or data privacy risks, yet nearly half continue to use them in the workplace. theHRDIRECTOR
• [New] The number of young people not in work or education in Britain could rise to 1.25 million by the early 2030s without urgent government action, a landmark report has warned. The Guardian
• [New] Illegal migration, particularly in the form of the ongoing small-boats crisis, poses a fundamental threat to the safety of women and girls in the UK. Spiked
• [New] The UK water sector risks falling into a familiar cycle of late-stage pressure and rising costs unless it addresses the underlying cause of the slow start to AMP8. ResponseSource
• [New] The US, UK and Australia say they will develop underwater drone technology to protect undersea cables and boost defence, under their military alliance known as Aukus. BBC News
• [New] Under AUKUS, US and UK nuclear-powered submarines are expected to be deployed in Australia from 2027, while Australia plans to build its own submarines in the early 2030s. ISSRA Insights
• [New] The first pillar involves equipping Australia with conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines that are projected to eventually cost Canberra hundreds of billions of dollars, while also involving rotational deployments of UK and US submarines to Australia. ST
• [New] Commercial robotaxi pilots are expanding under government-backed deployment programs targeting wider adoption by 2027. / UK DataM Intelligence
• [New] UK government bond yields have soared amid growing questions about who will lead Britain's government and the future direction of fiscal policy, after the ruling Labour Party suffered significant losses in local elections earlier in the month. Saltus
• [New] UK cybersecurity agencies warn organizations to deploy agentic AI cautiously. MarketingProfs
• [New] The UK government has opened applications for operators to run self-driving taxi, bus, and private hire-style services in Great Britain, with passenger bookings expected to begin later in 2026. Automotive World
• [New] Self-driving vehicles represent a transformative opportunity for Britain, opening up independent travel for disabled people and older adults, while driving growth and creating high-skilled jobs across the UK. Automotive World
• [New] Data centers will be brought into scope as they are critical to keeping the UK running, underpinning essential and digital services from patient records and online payments to email services and AI development. UKAuthority
• [New] Project Overmatch will unify intelligence from four other key allies - namely, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom - as part of the Five Eyes global intelligence community. BGR
• [New] With heat set to build further across England and Wales on bank holiday Monday it looks increasingly likely that a new all-time UK May temperature record will be set. BBC Weather

Last updated: 02 June 2026